Demon's Taint
by Atheau
Summary: After an emergency blood transfusion, Beast Boy begins to undergo some strange and worrisome changes. Already struggling to keep the Beast under control, can he deal with literal inner demons on top of it? May be romance in later chapters. Rating changed to T for language and semi-graphic (non-sexual) imagery.
1. Prologue: Bonds Forged by Blood

**Disclaimer: **The Teen Titans? Mine? You silly thing, you.

**Author's Note: **Hey, hey, hey, everybody! It's time for what you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for! My very first multi-chapter story! (Crickets) Okay, well fine. All ten of my readers. But I love you guys, so it's kay! Now, I'm gonna try and update this story once a week, with the occasional bonus chapter for brownie points to soften the blow when I inevitably miss a week. Enough of that, though. Enjoy the prologue!

(And yes, events are kept somewhat vague for a reason. No, it's not me being lazy. For the most part.)

* * *

**Prologue**

**Bonds Forged By Blood**

"Ugh…My head…" Was the first thought to come to Raven's mind as she sat up and tried to take stock of her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the medical equipment inhabiting the shelves all around them. Wait, them? Her head turned, and then she saw the body.

The smell of blood had hit her nose first, which was when she made the subconscious observation that aside from her headache, she appeared to be uninjured.

Sure enough, not but a couple yards away was her green skinned friend, lying flat on his back and seemingly still unconscious. Not to mention half-naked and covered in multiple cuts and bruises. Someone, it seemed, had a field day with the changeling.

Worry clouded her thoughts for a moment. _That's a lot of blood…_She shook her head, and came closer to examine his condition. It was just as it looked like from afar. None of the wounds looked to be life-threatening alone, though the amount of blood he'd lost from the still bleeding cuts put him in very real danger. His face was a lighter shade of green than she was used to. Her other three team members were nowhere to be found, so it seemed up to her.

Holding her hands out over his bare chest, she willed the power forth from her hands and…Nothing. Her eyes narrowed, and she tried again. It was after a few moments of quiet panic that she noticed something around Beast Boy's neck. It was a meta-inhibiting collar. Reaching up, she noticed the same wrapped around her own, silently cursing herself for not noticing it earlier.

"Well, shit." She wasn't normally one for such language, but she was both alone (enough), and it seemed appropriate given the circumstances. What was she supposed to do about his wounds? Of course, as soon as realization hit her, she could've slapped herself. They were in a room full of medical equipment, after all.

Rummaging around on the shelves, she gathered bottles of antiseptics and bandages, and went about cleaning and dressing her still unconscious friend's wounds. Some small part of her was slightly embarrassed by the prolonged contact with a mostly unclothed man, but it was shoved to the back of her mind.

While it was true that she cared about her team, and that included Beast Boy, the two of them had never exactly seen eye to eye. They had their moments together despite the fact, and he certainly wasn't the last person she'd want to be stuck in a room alone with. If pressed, she might even say that he was her closest friend among the male Titans. However, she simply didn't think of him in that fashion; neither him nor anyone else, for that matter.

With most of the wounds taken care of, she now had to deal with his blood loss. A quick look around confirmed that, though there were some prescription medicines and antibiotics lying around, along with the required equipment to do a blood transfusion, there were no blood bags lying around to be used. There was, however, one other option…

It was not something she wanted to do. It was far from it, in fact. However, Beast Boy's unique physiology had made him a universal receiver by every stretch of the word. His body simply adapted to whatever blood type was incoming and ran with it from there. The team learned that much early on through routine blood tests and the like, though it wasn't something they'd ever needed to put into practice before.

But should she? Who knew what kind of havoc her half-demonic blood would wreck on a human body. She may very well kill him with the very transfusion meant to save his life! For that matter, it was no guarantee that he would die anyway; his wounds had been cleaned and dressed accordingly. Still, she was worried about the amount of blood he'd already lost.

The last thing she remembered before waking up was a sharp pain in the back of her head, a yell that wasn't her own, a flash of green, and darkness. From her best guess, she'd probably taken a heavy hit, and when Beast Boy rushed to support her, they got separated from the rest of the group. This meant that, for all intents and purposes, she owed him her life anyway. Even if she didn't care about him, it would be rude to run the risk of his death after he'd done so much. Mind made up, she set to work.

She silently thanked Robin forcing them to learn first-aid, as well as the things she picked up watching Cyborg work in the med-bay. Otherwise, the changeling might very well be dead right now; or soon, at least. Her idle thoughts occupied her while she filled an IV bag with her own blood, and went about transferring the tube to Beast Boy's arm.

Letting out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding when everything was set up and appeared to be working correctly, she laid down on the cold floor in an attempt to soothe the uncomfortable feeling in her head she assumed was caused by blood loss. It was a small price to pay to keep a team member safe. If anything about their current situation, which she hadn't half a clue how they'd gotten into, could be considered safe. Though she didn't mean to, the fuzzy feeling in her head mingled with her headache from earlier, and she was lulled into a deep, dreamless sleep.

An anonymous tip was put in to the Titans on where they could find their not long missing friends. It was less than an hour later that they were picked up, both unconscious but otherwise alive.

_All according to plan._


	2. Chapter One - Awakening

**Author's Note: **You guys get the first chapter a few days early! Woo! Mostly because...Well, it was finished a few days early. Go figure.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Awakening**

_The Pack is in trouble! Must save. No matter the cost._

_Not fast enough. Must go faster, go farther, go longer. More strength._

_The pack is here. Safe. Unconscious._

_So tender. Skin so soft, so fragile. Scent so…Intoxicating. No! Is Pack. Must resist._

_Maybe just nibble…_

_**Crunch.**_

"Beast Boy."

"…Beast Boy?"

"Beast Boy, you're hurting me. Let. Go. Now."

His eyes snapped open, and before he could think, the changeling tried to speak. Which, considering the wrist that was currently in his mouth, came out as little more than a muffled groan. Looking down at the appendage clenched between his teeth, there was a moment when his eyes widened considerably. The skin on that arm was pale, almost gray. Eyes traveled up the arm and to the owner. Immediately, a mouth opened wide and gave Raven her arm back. He was most certainly sweating bullets now, if he hadn't been before.

"Raven! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I'm too young to die!"

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself while I decide what to do with you."

"I was eating! Err, in my dream, that is. There were these…" Pause. Actually, he couldn't quite remember. Just the flavor of something deliciously addictive flooding his throat. "And you know how some animals will do in reality what they do in their dreams? Yeah, it was kinda like that. I think." He exhaled heavily, catching previously held breath and hoping to live another day.

There was a long few moments of silence while the pale sorceress considering the information. It wasn't the first time he'd done something similar, and she'd heard of the theory he talked about before. Only one question sprang to mind, really. "And just what were you eating that you bit hard enough to break skin?"

"Wait, what?" Green eyes flickered down to look at her wrist, and a lump caught in his throat. Two small holes, the results of his slightly elongated canines, had drawn up a bead of blood. Almost as if fearing the result, he moved his tongue to wipe of the bit of blood on each tooth. The flavor sent a shiver rippling down his spine. The sorceress noticed the odd look on his face, as well as the spike of pleasure, but said nothing.

"You gotta believe me, I didn't mean to! I-"

Just then, the med-bay doors opened and Cyborg came running in, at which point Beast Boy shut up and Raven hid the bite marks on her wrist under the protective folds of her cloak.

"Aww man, B! It's good to see you awake! We was all worried for a minute there." The changeling blinked, and looked confused.

"Worried about what? Come to think of it, why am I in the med bay? I feel fine. Better than fine, really." As if to demonstrate, he got out of the bed and started stretching his arms and legs. "I don't think I've ever felt so good. I feel rested, too."

"You better. You were asleep for nearly a week." At that, the changeling stopped, and turned to look at his cybernetic friend.

"You're kidding, right?"

"D'you think I'd kid about something like that?"

"I didn't think so…What the heck happened, anyway? My memories of the last couple days, or I guess six or seven days ago, are kinda fuzzy."

"Huh? Oh, well. There was a call, 'bout six days ago. Somethin' about a bunch of rock creatures messin' up a warehouse. So anyway, we headed down there and was bustin' heads when you n' Raven got separated from us. She'd said ya' took a pretty good blow to the head watchin' her back, an-"

"And we cleaned up the rest of the monsters and brought you back in the T-Car. The end." The sudden interruption came from Raven, who had been standing quietly off to one side while the two best friends conversed. She didn't sound or look nervous, though even an amateur would be hard pressed to assume she wasn't trying to hide something. Still, Beast Boy was used to that and paid the fact little mind. Maybe he'd ask later.

"Well, alright dudes. Anyway, I'm feelin' great, so I'ma go out and stretch my legs a bit. Before you ask, Cy, I won't go into town. Just around the Tower, maybe a lap around the island. I'll keep my communicator on me. See ya'!" And with that, the changeling bounded off to go occupy himself elsewhere.

The cybernetic Titan turned to the sorceress with a confused expression. "What was that all about? There a reason you don't want him to know you saved his life?" Raven had reluctantly told Cyborg what had happened during the two's brief stint of capture, mainly because he was the Titan's self-proclaimed medical specialist and probably would've found out eventually whether she told him or not. Luckily, Raven had an excuse prepared for just such a situation.

"Are you kidding? You've seen how much the little pest follows me around. Do you really think I want him knowing that he actually owes me something? I'd never get a moment of peace." This was, for all intents and purposes, true. It just wasn't the whole truth. Cyborg seemed to think on this a moment before nodding.

"Good call."

Of course, Raven didn't want to share her real reason for concealing the true. In all actuality, she may have resigned him to a slow and painful death. Though it was long enough after the fact that it was probably safe to assume he wasn't in danger of death, she still didn't want him to know in case something bad did happen. She'd blame herself enough without his being there to rub salt on the wounds if that were the case.

* * *

He felt _free_. When and where had he gotten so much energy to burn, and where could he get more? Currently in the form of a peregrine falcon, one of the fastest flight animals, he was flying high above the tower. True, he was stretching his wings more than he was stretching his legs, but considering he'd spent nearly an hour before that running full tilt in the form of an Arabian horse he figured it was a moot point.

Pulling out of one of the peregrine falcon's world famous high speed dives, he stabilized himself and shifted. Now a human, he landed on the edge of the tower roof at a sprint that slowed to a walk as he reached the door.

"Phew. Now that was a workout. Oh…Hey Raven." Just as he was reaching out to grasp the door handle, it swung open on quiet hinges. Raven was the only person on the team who really frequented to the roof, so he wasn't all that surprised to see her coming out. The sorceress simply gave him a small nod by way of recognition.

"Where have you been?"

"Eh? Oh, just around the island. I guess it's cause I was sleepin' so long, or something, but I was so restless I was practically bouncin' off the walls. Came out here to burn some energy, y'know?"

"That's nice. Were you going to move so I can get out, or not?"

"Uh ,yeah. Sorry." As they pair maneuvered around each other, Beast Boy caught the scent of blood. Looking down, he noticed that she never bothered to heal the small marks on her wrist from earlier. There was nothing special there, since the marks weren't even worthy of being called wounds. What surprised him was the sudden urge that welled up within him to take his teeth to those marks and…

He caught the odd look she was giving him and shook his head to clear his thoughts. They got past each other with no further problems, but the moment lingered on his mind. Little did he know, the empath had caught the stab of desire that spiked within the changeling as well. Filing the information away for another time, she went about her meditation as usual.


	3. Chapter Two - Revelations

**Author's Note: **An longer than usual chapter for you guys today. The reason being is that this was one of those scenes that was actually outlined before hand, so I knew exactly how I wanted the chapter to end. A couple important things happen at once in this one, and I don't wanna keep you guys waiting, so enjoy!

**P.S.** For those of you in the reviews that mentioned possible vampirism, that is not the route I intend to go with this story. I can understand how it might look like that based on the last chapter, but no one needs worry about that particular plot-device, as I've no intention of touching it with a ten foot pole, let alone my hand.

**P.P.S.** I'm experimenting with alternate line break formats, so tell me what you guys think.

**Disclaimer: **Lemme check. Nope, still don't own Jack. Or the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Revelations**

While Raven went about her daily meditation on the roof, Beast Boy took his chance to go down to the showers and wash off the sweat of his exercise. Of course, being alone in the shower and drenched with steaming water was prime thinking time and something Beast Boy often took advantage of, contrary to popular belief.

These thoughts covered a wide range of subjects, but he constantly found his mind wandering back to the events of that day; waking up with Raven's arm in his teeth, the taste of her blood, the sudden and indescribable rush of energy. Something was going on, and he wanted to know what. However, he also knew that disturbing Raven during her meditation was a good way to get her to close up, and not give answers whether she had them or not. So, he decided to wait until later that night.

Dinner was a normal affair. Raven was there, but had little more than a slice of toast and a cup of tea. Everyone else had a full meal, at least, and the conversation was laid back and relaxed. It flowed from random talk about the day, to Cyborg's baby the T-Car, from there to Robin's R-Cycle. Naturally, this brought mention of how often it was missing from the garage, which led to teasing Robin and Starfire about their still budding relationship, and then…

"So, Cyborg. Had your eye on anyone recently?" That was courtesy of Robin, eager to change the subject.

"Man, y'all know my baby is all the lovin' I need in my life! What about you, green bean?"

"Who, me? Nah, I'm too popular to go settling down! After all, who'd pay attention to all the ladies with Robin taken and Cyborg in too deep with his car?" This was accompanied by a suggestive waggling of the eyebrows and a friendly laugh.

"Oh? You sure you ain't got a lil' som'n som'n goin' on with Raven over there?"

Beast Boy froze. The expressions that crossed his face ranged from incredulity and confusion to fear. Not that he was scared _of_ Raven, but rather what she might _do_; to Cyborg, at least. He should've been in the clear, since he didn't say anything.

"What're you talking about, Cy?"

"Oh, you know, just that a certain someone was in the med-bay every day last week, checking up on another certain someone."

"Please, friends, does this mean Beast Boy and Raven are engaging in the 'dating?' Oh, this is glorious news! We must do the date of doubles, and th-"

Raven, who had been mostly tuning out the conversation and saying little, finally seemed to register just what was being talked about. Her first reaction was to choke on her tea, which, since the cup was still to her lips, gave her a grand mouthful of the scalding liquid. Following that was a spit-take, as the liquid burned her tongue and went right back into the cup. Then the cup shattered, making the point moot as the beverage pooled on the table-top. A half second deep breath and she was stone faced with an expression so neutral that it could only be carefully masked anger.

"What."

"I was just saying that it is glorious news that you and Beast Boy were-"

"No."

"But Cyborg said-"

"No_."_

"But you-"

"_No._"

"…Okay."

"There is nothing between Beast Boy and I. I visited him in the med bay out of obligation because, as much as I hate to admit it, he was injured while protecting me. I felt some responsibility for his wounds, so I made sure his recovery went smoothly._" _Beast Boy, who still had a blank, shocked expression on his face, was merely nodding dumbly.

"Uh, yeah; what she said."

If he was really pestered on the point, Beast Boy might be willing to admit that he was slightly, very slightly, hurt by Raven's words. While it was true that he wouldn't go so far as to say that he had a crush on the empath, he would admit with only the slightest hesitation that she was pretty; and really, who wouldn't want a pretty girl fawning over them while worried about their health? It was these thoughts that ran through his head while the others turned to stare at him. Robin with a curious look, Starfire a hopeful one, and Cyborg one of his classic teasing grins.

"Well, dinner was great guys, but I think I'ma go, uh, clean my room. Or something. Yeah. So, see ya'!" And with that, he up and practically dashed from the table, leaving his barely half eaten meal where it lay. Lucky for him it wasn't one of his assigned dish nights or his escape wouldn't have gone nearly so smoothly. As soon as he was out of the room, Cyborg exploded with laughter, and even Robin let loose some chuckling. Starfire could only watch with a confused expression, and Raven was still silently fuming.

"Was that really necessary?"

"But Raven, did'ja see the look on his face? Forget that, did'ja see the look on _your_ face?! Oh man, an' I got pictures, too!" Reaching over, the half metal Titan gave the Boy Wonder a solid, congratulatory fist-bump.

"Ugh…Whatever. I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." With that Raven stood, collected the spilled tea and broken cup into a black bubble, and deposited first the spilled tea into the sink and then the broken glass into the trash. Afterwards, true to her words, she phased through the floor.

The meal continued in silence for a bit now that Beast Boy, the one who normally kept the conversation flowing, was absent. It was nearly five minutes later that someone spoke up. Approaching the subject delicately, Robin poked at his food uncomfortably for a bit before starting.

"You know, guys…Raven had an excuse for watching him in the med-bay, and she shot down the idea of them being in a relationship pretty quick. But, I couldn't help but notice that she never denied liking him, and her reaction was kinda over the top for a simple joke. And Beast Boy…Well, you saw the look on his face." The masked leader was still staring down at his food for a few moments, but then he looked up to meet Cyborg's eyes. They stared silently at each other for a few moments in contemplation, before each smiled a relieved smile.

"Naaaaah." The pair of boys said in unison. Starfire could only watch, still confused, and eat in silence.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was well into night when Beast Boy decided it was safe to seek out Raven. He wanted to find that sweet spot between her meditations and going to sleep. Considering he'd heard the bathroom door slide shut not but a couple minutes ago and the fact that he'd checked on all his other team members to confirm it was her in the shower, he gave her a few minutes to get decent, then knocked on her door. Once, twice, then a third time.

"Hey, Raven? Could we, uh, talk for a bit?"

He waited, silently counting the seconds in his head. It was nearly three minutes, and he was almost ready to give up, before the door in front of him cracked slightly and he was greeted with a single violet eye.

"What do you want?"

"I, uh, just like I said. I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Why didn't you mention it at dinner?"

"Well, it's kind of…Private. " There was silence for a few long moments of silence, before the door opened fully.

"Normally I would expect some prank, but you seem to have something bothering you. Come in, then."

"Wait, seriously? You're inviting me into your-"

"Look, just come inside before I change my mind, alright? And don't touch anything." Raven gave Beast Boy a hard look for a moment before turning and vanishing into the darkness of her room. Which wasn't so dark once Beast Boy stepped inside, both because his eyes were quick to adjust and she'd lit a few candles situated on a desk. The empath was cloak less, though she was still dressed in her usual leotard. Settling on the edge of her bed, she seemed visibly relaxed inside her room, despite the company. "Now, I only invited you in because you seem to be taking something seriously for once. Don't disappoint me."

"Uh, yeah. I just…I gotta ask. What did you do to me?" He almost winced when the door slid shut behind him. Raven's room was supposed to be off limits. Sure, there was that one time, with the mirror, but those were special circumstances and he hadn't dared go in since.

"Beast Boy, please tell me this isn't about what happened at dinner. I didn't do anything. It was some harmless, if in bad taste, teasing that didn't mean anything. Nothing happened."

"No, I'm not talking about that. I mean a week ago. What did you do to me?"

Raven stopped dead, and glared at him. At any other time, he might've shrunk away because he _was_ planning some juvenile prank; but not this time. _"What did Cyborg tell you?"_ Raven's voice was little more than a hiss, but his sensitive ears picked up every word; and she sounded pissed.

"What? Cyborg didn't tell me anything. What're you talking about?"

"Who told you, then?!"

"Raven. Would I be asking you if someone told me? Look. I slept for a week. Regular wounds wouldn't _do_ that to me; it's not much, but I am quicker to heal than most people. Today, I've felt different. I was full of energy, like, I couldn't stay inside because I'd be bouncing off the walls energy. Finally, when Cy was talking about what happened a week ago, you were quick to interrupt him. You were hiding something."

"And what makes you think I have anything to do with that?"

"Raven, c'mon now. I know you guys think I'm stupid, and I'm not the smartest person on this team, but even I can do simple addition. One plus one plus one definitely equals three." Technically, he could've added a fourth one to that equation, but that was one that he hadn't figured out for himself yet, so he decided against it.

Raven look conflicted, which was strange for her. He was so used to seeing her calm and collected that he almost opened his mouth to say that she didn't need to tell him before he snapped it shut again. Not this time. She'd done something to him, or seen something done to him, and he needed to know what it was. After what felt like an hour but was probably about two minutes, she sighed.

"Yes, I did do something to you, Beast Boy. While we were fighting, we both got captured. I got caught in the back of the head by something, and I'm guessing you went down watching my back. I woke up first. You were…It wasn't pretty. Anyway, we were both stuck in inhibitor collars, so I couldn't just heal you. I patched you up as best I could, but you'd lost a lot of blood. So I gave you an emergency transfusion."

"Transfu…Oh, wait. So you gave me someone's blood? What's so bad about that?"

"It wasn't just anyone's blood, Beast Boy. It was mine."

The changeling blinked. His mouth opened, and then closed again. He knew what she was; everyone on the team knew what she was. The gears started turning in his head. He had her blood in his body. Raven's blood. Half-demon blood. His DNA was unstable, prone to rapid mutation. Natural selection ensured that the strongest survived. Demons, as evil as they tended to be, were very strong. He'd slept for a week. Sleeping was prime time for changes to take place in the body. And after he'd woken up, there'd been a change in his habits. The dots came crashing together.

"Oh. Shit." It was all he seemed capable of saying at the moment.

"Beast Boy? Are you okay? I…I understand if you're angry. I know you wouldn't have wanted this. Honestly, if there'd been any other-"

The shape-shifter held up a hand and Raven, though it wasn't something she'd normally do, stopped talking. Beast Boy seemed to take another few moments to collect his thoughts.

"I'm not angry at you, Raven."

"It's okay to hate me fo- Wait, what?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"And why the hell not?!" Her tone surprised even her, for a moment. She'd been expecting this, waiting for him to blow up at her for ruining his life. She would've felt better if he had.

"You said it yourself; it was either that or death. I mean, yeah, if I could change it I would, and it's going to take some getting used to. But I can't hate you for saving my life, Raven. I gotta know, though. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't…I didn't know if anything would come of it. If nothing had happened, if nothing changed, then I just thought it wouldn't be…Important. I mean, when I did it I couldn't guarantee that it would do anything."

"Alright, alright. Well, I have some, uh, thinking to do, n' stuff. So I'll just, y'know, go now." He turned, and moved to open the door. Then, he stopped. "I just wanted to say, Raven. Thanks for saving my life. And, uh…Telling me what you did. Besides, we could always look on the bright side."

"I've turned you into a demon, Beast Boy. What bright side is there to that?"

"Remember after Malchior, when I said you'd never be alone? I meant it, then; but now, you really never have to be. We've got the blood pact to prove it." He turned his head long enough to give her one of his signature toothy grins before the door opened and he stepped out into the hallway.

Raven could only stare at the door, eyes wide with shock. What the hell was wrong with him? He was supposed to hate her. Or, at least be angry! She should've known things would never be that simple. Not only was he not angry at her, he'd even managed to twist it around to ease her guilt for doing it! Damn him. Damn Beast Boy and his kind, caring soul to hell. It certainly would have made things easier for her. She fell back on her bed, and tried to sleep. It didn't occur to her to wonder where he'd heard 'blood pact' and how he knew what one was.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beast Boy, now safely back in his room, laid down on his lower bunk. What he'd said was true; he wasn't angry at her and he could never hate her. Sure, he was shocked, surprised, confused, and everything in between; but none of those things was hate or anger.

It would explain the weird craving, though. His body obviously liked the energy boost from Raven's blood, and wanted more. Or maybe it was a demon thing, thirsting after each other's blood; what he did know is that he'd have to learn more about demons now, more than what little he'd learned while spying on Raven and sneaking into her room to read her books about demons.

He'd never been all that worried about her finding him out on that one; who'd believe that Beast Boy would read willingly, let alone anything that might prove to be educational? What he'd told Raven was true, he wasn't the smartest on the team and he doubted he ever would be; but when a particular subject interested him, he could be almost as focused as Robin on a Slade case when it came to researching it. Problem was, not that much was known about demons that were actually written down somewhere he could get to it.

There were other things that worried him, too. What kind of instincts did demons carry, and how would it affect what he already had to live with? His thoughts strayed to the Beast. He understood what it was, a collection of his basest instincts given a will of its own. It was only dangerous to those who threatened the survival of Beast Boy himself or one of his pack mates.

The only real problem came from the fact that he didn't like letting it out, so when something bad enough happened force it out he was too far over the edge to get any kind of control over it. That might change, though, with the demon blood in him. Demons were cunning, malicious, and violent. If his base instincts changed to reflect that, then the Beast's personality, what little there was, would change as well. That thought scared him.

The best he could do for the time being was make a promise to himself not to morph into any demons unless he could help it, to slow down the imprinting process as long as he could. For now, though, he was hungry.

After all, with the odd turn in the conversation, he'd missed out on half his dinner. Getting up, he moved to the door and out into the hallway, padding almost silently towards the common room. Entering, he moved for the fridge, and looked inside.

Scowling, he moved to the pantries. Nothing looked even the slightest bit appetizing. His annoyance grew, and he had only half a second to think that being this angry at not having anything to eat was stupid before the blackness overtook him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cyborg's metal eye activated, his human one just slightly behind in opening. Even as his human brain caught up to the fact that he was awake way too early for his own good, the mechanical part of his brain analyzed and cataloged the reason why. The alarm was going off, and judging by the alert that one of the common room windows was broken, it was the intruder alarm, not a city alarm.

Rising into a sitting position, he swung his legs off the charging table and got to his feet, cybernetic mind already steering him towards the hallway that lead to the common room while his brain caught up and then jacked up the alert factor. Robin and Starfire were already at the door, and he could see Raven approaching from the other end of the hallway.

"What's goin' on, guys? Who tha' heck would be breakin' in at three in tha' mornin'?"

Raven reached the open common room door before he did. Turning to look inside, he noted the shocked and disgusted expression that covered her almost immediately as one of her hands flew to her mouth. Her skin took on a shade of green that very nearly rivaled Starfire's irises. It was then that he noticed the sweat beading on Robin's face and the oddly fascinated but somewhat worried expression on Starfire's.

Reaching the door and turning to look for himself since he was promptly ignored, he could understand why Raven felt sick.

"BB? Dude, what the hell?!"

Indeed, crouching in the middle of the common room floor was Beast Boy. It wasn't that which sickened the four so thoroughly. In Beast Boy's hands was a large rabbit. A dead rabbit. To be entirely accurate, it was also in his teeth. The lower half of his face was buried in the dead animal's back, and the sounds of chewing were the only thing in the room, other than breath. It took a few moments for him to realize he wasn't alone, and when he did, he looked up at them, animal falling from his grip. His jaw and chin were coated in blood, and strings of muscle dangled from his teeth.

His eyes, bright green and normally filled with joy, were the thin vertical slits of an angry animal, though it was the only thing about his body that had changed. There was a large hole in the window that he'd presumably busted to get inside, and glass shards littered the floor and were liberally sprinkled on his shoulders. Lips peeling back in an inhuman snarl, he growled low in his throat at the other four heroes before returning to his meal.

"Beast Boy, wake up!" The words had come from Raven, who still looked sick but had some control of her features, at least. The changeling on the floor looked up again; ready to snarl, before he seemed to wake up. His eyes returned to their normal, circular pupils and he stared at them for a long few moments before realizing who they were.

"Oh, hey guys. Did y'all get up for a midnight snack…Too…?" Paling as much as a green skinned boy could, he looked at the blood on his hands, and then to the animal on the floor in front of him. The missing chunk of flesh from its back, organs revealed to the world. The ones that were still inside, at least.

One of his hands came up to his face, feeling at the wetness of the blood. Picking one of the strings of raw meat from his teeth, he held it up and stared at it for a minute. Then, rather abruptly, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell sideways, skull making contact with the floor accompanied by a solid and resounding thud.


	4. Chapter Three - Connections

**Author's Note: **I am sooooo sorry. This one took a little longer than intended. I am introducing an OC in this chapter, which is why, and I wanted to find that balance between Mary Sueness and "let's-blow-this-guy-off-he-obviously-means-nothin g"ness. His screen-time, as it were, is going to be limited, but he will be popping up a couple more times before the story is done. Anyway, enjoy!

**Dislaimer: **I own nothing. Seriously. I didn't even pay for the computer I'm using. Or the chair I'm sitting in. Or the clothes on my back. I hate being poor. :(

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Connections**

"Hey guys, I think he's waking up."

The voice belonged to Cyborg, and true to his words Beast Boy's eyes were open and blinking rapidly, adjusting to the light in the med-bay. Bringing a hand to his head, the changeling sat up and groaned, looking around. The entire team was there for a change, watching him with worried expressions.

"Man, I have got to stop waking up in here."

"Beast Boy, are you feeling okay?" That was Raven. She always seemed to be the first to check on him when something happened. He'd never really thought anything of it; she was the one with the healing powers, after all.

"Yeah, I guess. A little dizzy though. What happened?"

"You passed out. Last night, after…" Everyone in the room paled slightly at the mention of the sight. Even Cyborg, the carnivore supreme, had the firm belief that meat only belonged in the stomach _after_ it was cooked.

"Right. Man, I'd done so well, too! My last relapse was years ago. Damn it…"

"Wait, relapse? This has happened before?" This time from Robin. He made it his mission to know everything that he thought was important about the team. He was respectful enough to not drill people on their pasts, but anything pertaining to behavior he saw as fair game.

"Oh, I get cravings for raw meat all the time. I mean, humans are the only species that actually cook food. I normally have a handle on it, though. I got no clue what made me flip out so bad that I wouldn't even remember to use the door…" He shared a glance with Raven, one that wasn't noticed by Robin due to his being deep in thought, though Cyborg had a bit of knowing look on his face. Truthfully, Beast Boy thought he knew exactly what set him off. He just didn't want to admit it; and by the look on Raven's face, they were thinking the same thing. Robin seemed to snap out of his reverie.

"It's not going to be an issue, is it? If you keep having these relapses?" The relationship between Beast Boy and Robin had been slightly strained after the incident with the Beast, despite how long ago it had happened. They got along well any old day, but there were certain topics that were sensitive, and the fights, though rare, could get pretty heated. Before anything could get out of hand, he raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I don't mean to say I don't trust you; I do. But if this is going to happen again, we can at least know what's going on."

Beast Boy, though he'd looked close to anger for a moment, was willing to let it go. Robin did have a valid point, this time. "It shouldn't cause any problems unless it happens in the middle of a fight. In that case, I trust y'all can stop me doing anything I'll regret. Any other time I'd never go for humans; predators don't like prey that can fight back."

"Well, alright. Since that's settled, who's up for breakfast? I say it's a perfect morning for waffles!" Cyborg bounded out of the room, half in an attempt to diffuse the situation, and half because he really was hungry. The trick seemed to work, since Beast Boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. When the rest of the team arrived and got settled at the table, though, Beast Boy refused any food.

"Dude, you saw what happened last night. I don't think I'll have an appetite for a couple days. I'm lucky I managed to keep what was in my stomach where it belongs, nasty as it is." For all that he tried not to eat meat, it was already in his stomach and he wasn't about to go on a self-induced vomiting spree just to help clear his conscience a little.

"Fair enough. Heck, I made waffles because I didn't wanna be thinkin' about meat right now either." Raven, who had taken a single waffle and was slowly but steadily making it disappear, set her fork upon her plate for a moment.

"Everyone, we'll be having a visitor to the Tower today. He probably won't be staying long, but I thought this a nice opportunity for you all to meet him." All conversation stopped. Actually, all movement stopped, and four pair of eyes turned to Raven. Four jaws had simultaneously dropped. Raven shifted uncomfortably for a moment, not liking all the attention. The first to speak was Cyborg, followed quickly by everyone else.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. _Raven _is bringing someone to the Tower?! And it's a _guy_?!"

"Who is he? Can we trust him? What's his name? Age? Occupation?"

"Oh, glorious! Raven is bringing home the 'boyfriend!' Quickly, we must do the cleaning!"

"_Duuuuuuuude…_"

A hand came down on the table, and all talk stopped again. Raven looked pointedly annoyed. "Yes, he is trustworthy. Yes, it's a he. No, he is _not_ my boyfriend. Beast Boy, you're drooling, stop it. This isn't that monumental." After a moment, she sighed and spoke again, to explain the situation. "He's…I met him about a year ago, while shopping for magic tomes and spell ingredients. As it turns out, he's a very good supplier of both. So, I buy from him now and again. I requested a few books on short notice; normally I'd get them through the post, but he offered to deliver them by hand since I claimed it important. That is all."

The reactions were all varied. Robin seemed satisfied for the moment, but obviously had more questions about this mystery visitor. Starfire and Cyborg both felt disappointed, one because her best friend hadn't found love, and the other lamenting the endless potential for teasing. Beast Boy looked and felt strangely…Relieved? The empath couldn't place why the changeling might be relieved, though judging by the sudden spike of confusion a few seconds later, she doubted he knew why either.

"When is he supposed to arrive?" Robin asked with more curiosity than anything.

"Noon. He always keeps his appointments to the minute; he'll be here no later and no earlier." Starfire took a moment to glance at the clock, and gasped.

"Quickly, friends! That gives us only three hours. We must depart with all haste to do the cleaning so that our abode may be most presentable for guests!" Considering the alternative was dealing with the alien's wrath, everyone was quick to agree.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Raven looked at the clock. Eleven fifty-nine. Everyone had convened in the common room after going on a cleaning spree that was, the team decided after they'd gotten to work, much needed anyway. For all that they were superheroes, they were still teenagers; and teenagers often didn't notice when they made a mess.

True to her word, as soon as the clock ticked over to twelve, the buzzer for the door registered in the common room. The wide screen against the window clicked over to a view of the camera above the Tower's front door, revealing a single figure. He had with him a pair of suitcases and appeared to be dressed in business attire, though his face was concealed by the rim of a rather wide brimmed black hat.

"Is that the guy, Raven?"

"It's him. I recognize that hat anywhere."

Fiddling with a few buttons on his arm, Cyborg was about to open the door remotely when Robin stopped him. "Don't. I'll go let him in. It'll give me a chance to talk to him." Raven sent a glare in his direction.

"What, you don't trust my judgment?"

"That's not it at all. I trust you the most of all of us, actually, nor am I going to tell you who you can and can't be friends with. But letting someone into the Tower is a big deal, so I'm going to meet him first." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Raven, though still seemingly annoyed, had to admit that his reasons were valid. They usually were.

It was a few minutes later that the two men walked into the common room. Robin was examining what looked to be a business card, flipping it over in his fingers idly while reading it. It was impossible to tell what exactly the two had been talking about, but Robin seemed to be willing to let him stay long enough to introduce himself to everyone. The card was slid into a pocket on his belt. Raven seemed to take up the mantle of doing introductions.

"Everyone, this is my associate, Mr. Nagira. Nagira, this is Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire. You've already met Robin."

The young man standing before them was well dressed and spotless, sporting a pitch black slightly modified swallowtail suit, one with two slightly pointed 'tails' rather than simply being lower in the back. He had matching black slacks, a white dress shirt underneath, and a slim black tie. All in all, he looked every bit the part of nobility, from his wide brimmed black hat to his spotless black shoes. Only a single eye with a yellow iris was visible, the other, his left, covered by a practical but undecorated eye patch. His hair was shoulder length, straight, and as black as his clothes. A small teardrop tattoo was inked in an inch or so under his right eye. He looked to be no older than most of them, maybe seventeen at the most, despite how mature his dress made him appear.

"It is a great pleasure to finally meet you all. I have heard much from milady Raven here about her friends." His voice was polite, but slightly detached. A little too respectful, as though he kept the world at an arm's length. Depositing the briefcases by the door, he took a moment to shake both Beast Boy's and Cyborg's hands, as well as giving Starfire a deep bow and a light kiss upon the knuckles. Every bit the gentlemen.

Starfire gave a slight giggle to the greeting, though given her royal upbringing, she saw it for the respectful gesture it was. Cyborg, though slightly put off by the odd clothing choices and distant attitude, gave the man a hearty handshake and a friendly grin. Best Boy, though…He was suspicious. Something smelled distinctly wrong about him. Like a familiar scent was being twisted into something dark. It was a strange sensation, and it set the hairs on the back of his neck to rising. Not to mention, _milady?_ Who talked like that anymore? The guy was just weird. However, he kept a straight face, and shook the offered hand.

"Nice ta' meet'cha, dude."

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. I've heard much from Raven about you; more than many of your other team members, in fact. But alas, I must be going; I am a busy man, after all. Milady Raven, Sir Robin. I have further business here, so I should be in town for a week or two. Please, if you find yourself in need of my services, don't hesitate to call." With a sweeping bow to the room at large, he turned and made his way out. As soon as he was out of ear-shot, Beast Boy visibly relaxed.

"That dude is _weird."_

"You've known him less than five minutes and you're already insulting him?" Raven's trademark monotone was accusing.

"What? No. I didn't mean it in a bad way, or nothing. He's just strange." Waving off the comment almost dismissively, Beast Boy started for the door. "Well, I'll be in my room if anyone needs me. Got some stuff to think about. "

True to his word, within two minutes the changeling was laying on his bottom bunk, deep in thought. His thoughts were wandering, for the most part, jumping from one subject to another until…He bolted upright. _That_ was what was so off was about the guy! That familiar but different scent was Raven's! Not the upper layer, like lavender and musty books, but something deeper, almost like sulfur.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Beast Boy? It's Raven. Come to my room tonight, when everyone's asleep. We need to talk." Before he could respond, he heard the soft sound of footsteps leading away from his door. He wasn't all that surprised with everything that was going on and he knew there was no deeper meaning there, but the teenager deep inside went to work tying his stomach into knots anyway. He swore that guy made him nervous just for kicks and giggles.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was later that night that found Beast Boy standing outside of Raven's door, his hand balled into a fist and poised to knock. Maybe he should just go and double check to make sure everyone was asleep. His resolve was still wavering when he realized the door had opened and a violet eye was peeking at him from the crack, though the rest of the empath's face was hidden by shadow.

"Is everyone asleep?" Beast Boy could only nod dumbly before the door opened more fully and a hand reached out to latch on his shoulder and pull him inside, shutting swiftly behind. It took the changeling a moment to get his bearings, blinking furiously. The room was bright. He was shocked. Raven didn't _do _bright.

Well, it wasn't as blinding as he originally thought, but it was certainly brighter than usual, and definitely brighter than the hallway outside. Strewn about on most available flat surfaces were candles, giving the room an almost eerie but somehow comfortable glow.

On her bed were two empty briefcases, those delivered earlier, and what was presumably the contents of those cases were laid out as well. Books. Quite a few of them as well, more than should have been able to fit in two cases that size, surely. Still, learning to take the laws of physics with a grain or twelve of salt was easy in their line of work.

"So…What'd you need to talk to me about?" He asked nervously, somehow already knowing the answer.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to be studying." She gestured to the books.

"We? Wouldn't it be more like, I don't know, you teaching me, or something?"

The look Raven gave him was flat and dry. "Beast Boy, I've been running from the demon half of my heritage since I was born. I know about as much of all this as you do. Under ideal circumstances, I never would have needed to learn. But, here we are. So, we're going to study."

"Oh. Okay. Where do we start?" Raven, who had climbed onto the bed and picked up a book, turned to him almost incredulously.

"Wait, really? That's it? I was half afraid I was going to have to threaten you with bodily harm to get you to cooperate."

Following along behind, he sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, as if afraid of overstepping his bounds, and picked up a book. The look on his face was amused, in nothing else. "Oh c'mon, Raven. I thought you would've learned by now that even I know when it's time to stop joking and get down to business."

"Fair enough. And…Make yourself comfortable. We're going to be here a while."

He relaxed a bit, hesitantly, as though still afraid of her wrath. Not completely, mind, but when he got no objection and wasn't thrown out bodily, he practically melted onto the mattress. For all that her room was creepy and off limits and all number of similar adjectives, he had to admit one thing; she had a _really_ comfortable bed.

They had both been studying in silence for what had to have been half an hour or so before the changeling spoke. "Hey, Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say, thanks. I know that things aren't turning out how you wanted them to, but you're still helping me out, a lot. I appreciate it. I mean, these books must have been expensive, right? Special delivery and all."

"It's…I owe you this much, Beast Boy. I've done something to you that I can't exactly just take back. Consider this my way of…Apologizing." Her head turned from her book for what seemed like the first time in an hour, and she looked at the surprisingly somber friend. "And what makes you think these books were for you?"

"One plus one, Raven."

The pair of them studied well into the wee hours of the morning, which found them both exhausted. And so it was that the two of them, almost simultaneously, simply lowered their heads to the mattress, just for a few moments; a few moments which stretched into minutes, and then into hours.


	5. Chapter Four - Realizations

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry, you guys. Last week was weird. I came down with a pretty serious cold (I'm fine now, no need to worry), and as many may know, migraines aren't exactly helpful when it comes to stimulating creative thinking. I'm kind of happy about how this chapter turned out, though; there's a little bit of fluff, a little bit of humor, and a little bit of drama. I do hope I struck a good balance. Anyway, enough about me, onto the story!

**Disclaimer: **Hm...Nope. I can't find my name anywhere on the Teen Titans. Pity.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Realizations**

Raven was the first to awaken the next morning, as she often was. Immediately, three things were brought to her sleeping mind's attention. The first was that she was still tired. Understandable, given how late, or rather how early, she'd gone to sleep that morning. She'd only gotten a few hours of sleep so far, courtesy of her internal clock and old sleeping habits.

The second, more surprising and lacking the quick reason of the first, was that she was comfortable. Not just the sort of reasonable comfort born of a nice nap, though. Rather, she was surprised to find that she was completely lacking the ball of dread that tended to grow in her stomach while she slept; the product of nightmares and trace remnants of her father's influence. Indeed, despite her drowsiness due to so few hours of sleep, she felt quite refreshed and, dare she admit it, happy.

The third thing she noticed was relevant to the second. She could remember no nightmares. Due to the higher levels of thinking she was trained to unlock for the use of magic and her empathetic abilities, she always remembered her own dreams. For so many years, that had simply meant that she was cursed with remembering in vivid detail every moment of her nightmares. Today, however, she wasn't haunted by knowledge of her sleep. She'd slept without dreaming, something she had no memory of doing in years.

She could not, for all her thinking, find a reason for these two things. In her still groggy state, however, the details of the night before were somewhat foggy in her memory. Had she tried a new potion, perhaps? Opening her eyes slightly, she was half determined to find the source of her comfort and replicate it, though the other half knew the first thing she was going to do was go right back to sleep in a minute or two.

To say she was surprised when she was met with a face not but a foot from her own would be a gross understatement. Her eyes snapped open fully and she raised her head slightly, ready to blast the boy out of her bed; no, her room. What was Beast Boydoing in her room, let alone her bed?! However, the laziness that comes of having too few hours of sleep and a really comfortable mattress got to the empath, and she laid her head back down. Closing her eyes yet again and riding the drunken stupor of the morning's pleasant discoveries, she drifted back to sleep.

Besides, it wasn't as though anyone were there to notice the way she curled up slightly, and perhaps inched a little closer to the source of warmth already well within arm's reach. It certainly wasn't her fault if, in her sleep, a hand came to rest upon the changeling's grey gloved appendage.

Later, she would question the implications behind her decisions; but right now she was content.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Robin looked at the clock. It was almost three in the afternoon, and only three members of his team were present in the common room. Raven's absence wasn't totally strange; she sometimes got up before even he did, only to make some tea and retreat back to her room for the day. Beast Boy, however, normally would've been up by now, out in the common room and scrounging up some breakfast. His attention returned to the controller in his hand and the screen on which he was currently battling Cyborg in a racing game.

"Hey, Cy. Have you seen Beast Boy today?"

"Nope, haven't seen him; that's weird. Even he's normally up by now."

"Loser has to go drag him out of bed?"

"You got yourself a deal, bird boy."

The match was close, but eventually Robin was crowned the king of the track; at least, until the next round. Grumbling something about unfair advantages because of slim fingers, Cyborg got up and made his way out of the common room. Not really being a fan of singe-player games, Robin got up and decided to see what otherworldly concoction Starfire was stirring to life in the kitchen this time.

"Hey, Star. What's cooking?"

"Today I am making a traditional Tamaranean dessert!"

"Isn't it a little…Early for dessert, Starfire?"

"Normally, yes; but this dish requires many hours to set after the preparing has been done. It is comprised of-"

"He's not in his room."

Cyborg came back into the common room, looking slightly worried. Were it any other day, he wouldn't have been surprised that to find Beast Boy out of the Tower; but after yesterday's events today wasn't any other day, and even Beast Boy was responsible enough to tell someone when he was going out. Cyborg was already moving towards the controls for the main computers.

"I'm gonna check the hallway security cameras. Maybe we can see where he went, and when."

After about a minute of tapping away, Cyborg had the security cameras old videos on screen. At around one in the morning, Beast Boy could be seen leaving his room. After taking a lap around the residential level, stopping for a moment at everyone's door, he stopped in front of Raven's door. The video showed, for nearly three full minutes, nothing happening. The changeling's fist was raised as if to knock, but he never did. All of a sudden, the door opened and he was practically yanked inside before the door slid shut.

"Well that was weird. What the heck would he be doing in Raven's room?" A quick fast-forwarding of the video up to the present confirmed that her door had yet to be opened again.

"No sign of Raven this morning, either. You don't think he would've hurt her, do you? Or tried to?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Cyborg, Starfire, let's go."

With that, the three of them found themselves outside of Raven's room. A cursory knock gained no results, even after a full minute. Cyborg banged on the door, once, twice, then a third time. The three were growing increasingly worried, now. They didn't really think that Beast Boy would hurt Raven, or could for that matter, but there were strange things happening, and what they knew may not be applicable anymore. Not wanting to wait anymore, Cyborg punched the emergency over-ride code into the door panel, and it slid open noiselessly. Their jaws also dropped rather noiselessly.

"Oh…"

"My…"

"X'hal!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sound of banging on the door was what originally woke Beast Boy. Unconsciously, his hand tightened its grip on the soft object he was clutching. The pressure on her own hand was what woke up Raven from her peaceful sleep. The pair's eyes opened at just about the same time. Best Boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights, his eyes trailing from Raven's down her arm to where their hands were linked.

Raven, slightly less shocked due to her temporary awakening earlier allowing her awareness of the situation beforehand, looked down at their hands as well. That was surprising. She was about to push him out of her bed, if only to regain some sense of normalcy in the morning, before the unthinkable happened; the door slid open with a hiss. As though knowing they were about to look death in the face, the two on the bed turned their heads to stare at the open door and, more importantly, the three standing in it.

"Y-you know, there's a p-perfectly good explanation for this…" The changeling was doing a fairly good job of keeping the stammer out of his voice, though he slipped up once or twice.

"Beast Boy and I were…Reading."

Even as Raven said it, despite it being the truth, she knew how much like an excuse it sounded. She didn't need to be an empath to know they didn't believe a word of it; hell, she didn't even need to look at them. Beast Boy and reading didn't belong in the same sentence most of the time, let alone accusing him of doing it. Besides, the pair had very clearly been asleep and holding hands when they were caught.

She reached out blindly for one of the books that should've been strewn about the bed. That would show them! Except…There were none there. Glancing around her room, she saw the new row of books on her shelves and sigh, silently cursing herself. Of all the times to subconsciously tidy up while she was sleeping, it had to be the one time when a mess would've saved her reputation.

"Oh, yeah; I believe y'all. Guys, they were just reading." Cyborg barely kept his voice straight and he let the moment hang for a bit. Robin was staring at him just as incredulously as he had been at the other two, and Starfire merely looked confused, as though he could tell there were something more but wasn't sure where he was going with it. "Yeah, Rob. They were reading; if Braille was made to be read with the tongue. So, guys. Was it a good 'reading' session?"

Robin's eyes widened even further, and Raven had gone quickly from nodding to coughing violently. Neither Beast Boy nor Starfire got the joke immediately.

"But, dude, I thought Braille was for blind people. Y'know, with all the little- Oh, you're _sick_."

"Robin, I do not understand. What does the Braille have to do with tongues?"

"Star, I'll…I'll explain it later. Guys, get up. You've been sleeping long enough. Cyborg, let's go."

Robin was running on autopilot and his brain seemed to have slipped into leader mode. Apparently, the sight of the two was a bit much for his head, so he was just acting like it hadn't happened. He hadn't just seen them sharing a bed, still asleep at three in the afternoon, which meant they'd stayed up late last- He shut that train of thought right the hell down, then tied it off with warning tape and danger signs. Just to be safe, he chucked it into the back of his skull, where he kept the vault holding his most traumatic memories.

Starfire sighed. Really, all the little Earthling customs were so strange. Not only did they have many different languages, but the languages themselves were so complex. Idioms and expressions and references to this, that, and the other twenty year old obscurities. If she were a less patient person, she would've given up a really long time ago. Giving Beast Boy and Raven a bright smile and happy nod- obviously misunderstanding the situation- she floated off to find Robin.

Cyborg, however, was taking this all in much better stride than the others. Granted, he didn't _really_ think that there was anything going on between the two; but it made for some monumental teasing and a blackmail goldmine to boot. After making sure to get a few more pictures with his cybernetic eye, he sent a sly smirk in the two's direction. "Don't y'all be getting too frisky now, y'hear?" Laughing, the half metal titan practically sauntered off.

"We're dead, aren't we?"

"I don't think it's that bad, Beast Boy. We just have to-"

"They're never gonna let us forget this. We'll be teased until we shrivel up and die."

"…You're probably right."

The two sighed, practically in unison. They were sitting up, now, their hands having retracted from each other sometime during the fiasco. Green eyes met violet, illuminated only by the light through the open door. They both sighed again. In that moment, they'd come to an unspoken conclusion; they'd have to avoid each other for a few days. At least until the sure to be infamous incident was at least pushed to the back of everyone's minds. Suddenly, the changeling threw up his arms and fell back onto the mattress, sighing contentedly. His eyes closed a moment later.

"Beast Boy, what're you doing?"

"Huh? I'm about to go back to sleep, obviously."

"You're still in my bed."

"Yeah, so? You have a really comfy mattress, Raven."

"Beast Boy, get out of my bed."

"But _Raaaaaaaaaaaaveeeeeeeeen…"_

"Out."

"Aww, man!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beast Boy paused the game, sighed, and turned off the console. Single player games were fine sometimes, but it really wasn't even the games he liked. It was the fact that he got to spend time with his friends playing them. Unfortunately, Cyborg was out in the city shopping for parts. Starfire and Robin were out on a date, or as Robin liked to call it, a 'joint patrol mission'. Really, who did they think they were fooling? It was better than being one of those couples that were hanging on each other every minute of the day being sickeningly sweet he guessed, but still. Raven was somewhere in the Tower, probably her room, doing whatever it was she did during the day.

Getting up, he made his way into the hallway and off in the direction of his room. Lo and behold, who should he see but Raven; except, that wasn't her bedroom she was coming out of. That was the bathroom. The empath paused, staring at him with wide eyes. Naturally, she was wrapped up in a towel, but being the hormone ridden male he was, anything less than her usual cloak and leotard was sure to bring notice. Silently, he cursed the Towers floor plan; there was a bathroom at the each end of the hallway, but they were each currently blocking the path to each other's rooms.

"Uhh…Hey, Raven. I thought you normally, uh, teleported to your room, or something."

"I thought everyone was gone. You didn't go into the city?"

"Nah. I thought about it, but there wasn't really anything to do. I stayed here."

They both started walking again at the same time, each determined to make nothing of the unexpected meeting. It wasn't as though these things hadn't happened before; with five teenagers living together, it was inevitable every now and again. Besides, he was Beast Boy! He had years of experience holding down his natural instincts. What he didn't account for was the twisting in those very instincts over the course of the last week. As the two passed each other, a scent caught his nose and something in him cracked. He stopped walking.

"Was there something else you needed, Beast Boy?"

"Huh?"

"You're holding my wrist. Kindly tightly. Would you let go?"

"Are you using a new shampoo, or something?"

Raven paused. She'd opened her mouth to answer, but then realized how strange the question was and stopped. Turning to look at her friend, she stopped in her tracks. He was staring at her, but there was a far-away look in his eyes. With strength and she didn't know he had, the changeling spun her around to face him fully. Looking into his eyes proved to be a mistake; thin vertical slits stared back at her.

She didn't even realize she'd been pushed up against the wall, at first. She could feel his hands pinning her arms against the wall, feel him squeezing to the point that she noticed the tips of his claws even hidden as they were inside of his gloves. His face was naught but a couple inches from her own, and she felt her concentration slip. He was sniffing the air experimentally, moving from her cheek to her jaw, then down the side of her neck to her shoulder.

The feeling of his mouth closing over the skin of her shoulder sent involuntary shivers down her spine. She should've been pushing him away, and deep down she knew that, but somewhere between her logical mind and action hormones decided to have their way with her decision making processes. When his teeth started pressing harder she winced, but the discomfort helped her clear her thoughts a bit. It wasn't, however, until there was a sudden release of pressure and a flood of pain that logic took over.

Her knee drove straight into his groin and he stumbled backwards, as was the natural reaction for any man to be struck in such a sensitive area. When he looked back up at her, recognition had flood his features, his pupils returning quickly to their normal, circular state.

"Ow, Raven! What the hell was…Raven?"

Seeing her state stopped him dead. There was a bloody mess on her shoulder where it looked like someone had taken a chunk out of her with their teeth. He could feel the ball of dread growing in his stomach, probably born of the blood and flesh of his friend now churning there. His hand flew to his mouth, and came back with smeared blood on it.

"Oh god, Raven, I didn't- I swear I wasn't- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Before she could bother to format a response, his stomach lurched, hard, and his hand went flying to cover his mouth again. Shaking his head furiously, he fled from her, vanishing into his room in a flurry of activity. Left alone in the hallway, Raven planted a hand on her wounded shoulder, trying to start the healing process while she leaned back against the wall. Releasing a heavy breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, she slid down the wall until she was in a sitting position, her current state of dress, or more specifically lack thereof, completely forgotten for the moment. In fact, there was only room for one thought in her brain at the moment.

She knew it was wrong, so why had it felt so…Right?


	6. Chapter Five - Decisions

**Author's Note: **I deserve all of your disappointment and every pitchfork I get poked with. It's been two weeks, and to be totally honest, I've no real excuse for this taking as long as it did. Mr. Nagira makes another appearance in this chapter, and a longer one at that, so I was more than a little paranoid and it took far longer than strictly necessary. For that, I apologize.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Decisions**

The next morning, a sleepy changeling rolled over in his bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he got up. Momentarily, the events of the night before were forgotten, and he happily, if somewhat groggily, rolled out of bed and went about getting dressed. It wasn't until he was halfway out his bedroom door that clarity hit him, and he was back inside, leaning against his wall with a wave of anxiety washing over him.

The bite. He'd bitten her! Her scent had been so intoxicating at the time, and even now he had that energy high that he got whenever he got a taste. It was like every drug he'd ever read about, but so, so much better. Just _thinking_ about it drew a contented sigh from deep in his chest, though it was one that he knew simply could not last.

Slipping out his bedroom door, he made his way towards the common room, slowly. Surely the others would have found out; Robin would insist on interrogating him, probably wanting to throw him off the team. God knows the guy was just looking for an excuse. Starfire would be first disappointed in him, then angry; how dare he hurt one of her friends! Even Cyborg would get that look on his face that he got when he was really pissed off but didn't want to just explode.

And Raven…He wasn't sure he could face her. How could he, after what he had done? Walking into the common room, he was surprised to find that there were no disgusted stares or interrogations waiting for him. Everyone was present, Raven reading on the couch with Cyborg playing games next to her, Robin and Starfire cooking something in the kitchen.

Only Starfire bothered to look up when he entered, and all she did was give him her usual friendly smile before going back to what she was doing, which appeared to be cracking eggs of some kind. He went to grab something quick to eat, deciding on cereal that day, almost timidly. He half expected this to all be a trick, and Robin would be breaking out the handcuffs any second.

When he managed to get through an entire bowl of cereal without incident, something was clearly wrong. So, he decided to do the only thing he could do; confront Raven. Walking over to where the empath sat on the couch, he reached out to tap her on the shoulder. However, before his hand made contact, she flinched. He drew back his hand as though slapped while she turned her head to look at him.

"Yes, Beast Boy?"

"…Could I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Raven hesitated for a moment, her breath hitching. Not even Cyborg, who was only a couple feet away on the couch, noticed; though he wasn't paying any attention at all. He doubted the half metal man had even noticed he was there yet. Beast Boy did, though; his sensitive ears, alongside the fact that he was listening for signs of it, let him hear it all too clearly. The ball of dread in his stomach that had started to lessen when it seemed the other Titans didn't know about the night before came back with a vengeance.

"Is there a reason we can't talk about it here?"

The last piece fell into place. She was scared of him. _Raven_ was scared; of _Beast Boy. _Sure, it wasn't a gut clenching terror that had her running at the sight of him, and he doubted anything could instill that kind of fear in her. Still, though, there was that hesitancy. That momentary catch in her breathing, that heartbeat that skipped ever so slightly, the note in her voice that suggested talking to him was the last thing she wanted to do but she didn't want to upset him with a harsh rejection. He'd never thought that heartbreak would have a sound, and it didn't; but if he had to compare it to an action, it was like a guitar string snapping. There was a little, minor stress, nothing out of the ordinary, then…Pop. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes.

"Actually, never mind. I think I just answered my own question. See ya' later, Raven!"

He walked from the room as calmly as he could. He was proud of himself for not letting his voice crack or waver, for not letting the tears he knew were building fall, and for not breaking out into a run the moment he'd turned his back. It was a petty and misplaced pride, because he was running as soon as the common room doors closed, the tears were falling before he had his bedroom door open, and he'd barely managed to close it before he was racked with sobs.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was wondering why exactly he was as torn up as he was. Yes, he expected to be sad, but wasn't this a little over the top? The thoughts were a proper distraction, though. His sobs died down somewhat, though the tears still fell. It was after about a minute of thinking that he realized, no, he wasn't over-reacting. He'd put years, _years_, into getting Raven to open up out of nothing more than the desire to see a friend smile, to see _her_ smile. All of it was ruined in the space of a couple minutes. He'd turned learning her reactions, her scent, her habits, and all of the other miniscule things that made Raven who she was practically into an art form. Slowly, almost agonizingly so, he'd wormed his way into her confidence. They'd become friends, with a mutual bond of trust. Now, all that was…

He shook his head vigorously. He _had_ to get control of this; if not for himself, then for Raven. He knew that she still felt guilty over what had happened. He knew she wouldn't rest easy knowing that she had caused him trouble, because he knew Raven. He knew that, above all, she hated being a burden. He couldn't rely on her for this; every time he did, it would be rubbing salt in the wound, reminding her that she'd played a part in his transformation. He needed knowledge right from the source, and he had an idea of where to get it.

His resolve strengthened, he wiped his tears and left his room with a destination in mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beast Boy looked up at the skyscraper in downtown Jump City. Then, he looked back down at the business card in his hand. With Robin distracted by Star, sneaking into his room to grab the business card off his desk had been a cinch. Punching the call-code for the appropriate room into the intercom, he waited. Three rings later, there was the sound of someone picking up; then, a voice he clearly recognized as not belonging to Mr. Nagira spoke. It was cheerful, friendly, and laid-back in the extreme, nothing like the businessman he was there to see.

"Yeah? Whose it be?"

"This is Beast Boy of the Teen Titans. Is Mr. Nagira available?"

"Soooo, yer' lookin' fer' me bro, eh? Cause I's don' be thinkin' I recernize yer' voice."

Confused, Beast Boy looked down at the business card in his hand. On closer inspection, he realized that the card gave no first name, only a first initial of R.

"I don't know. There's no first name on the business card."

"business card? Yea, ye's be lookin' fer' me bro. Hold a sec, I's kin buzz ye' right up!"

A moment later, he heard the distinctive sound of the door unlocking, at which point he opened it and made his way into the elevator. His destination was the top floor, a penthouse no less. Whoever this guy was, he must be loaded. The elevator opened and he stepped into a room that felt a lot like the common room of the Tower. A wide window made for one amazing view, and the room was wide open and spacious. There was only one person in the room, a blond haired male about his own age sprawled out on the couch. He didn't even look in the changeling's direction, though he did react to the sound of the elevator door opening.

"Oi, bro! Tha' guy be hea'!"

"Ah, yes. Beast Boy, correct? Come, right this way; we can talk in my office."

Without thinking, he was already moving to follow the man. Though he was kind of creeped out by the guy's super formal clothes and speech, something about him gave the business man a trustworthy feel, and he tended to trust his gut on such things. The first thing that registered upon entering the man's office was how clean and organized it was. The guy made _Robin_ look like a slob.

"Now then. To what honor do I owe this visit, hm?"

"I was kinda hopin' you could help me out. I need to know about demons."

"Why-ever would you need to know about something like that?"

The changeling hesitated. Should he tell this guy? Sure, he got the feeling that this 'Mr. Nagira' was trustworthy, but at the same time he was aware that this kind of secret was dangerous.

"I…Before I tell you, can you promise me that you won't tell anybody?"

"Please, sir. I am a business man first, and I take my business _very_ seriously. If any of this conversation were to leave this room, it will not have been my doing. On that, I will gladly swear my life."

"Well, alright…The story goes like this."

It was like so that Beast Boy explained to Mr. Nagira the events of just a little over a week ago, as well as those of the last few days. He glossed over a few of the less than important portions, such as the rabbit incident, as well as his and Raven's late night study session and the bite, of course; he wasn't quite that trusting, and there was no real reason for the guy to know.

"Alright, I believe I understand your situation. Now, what is it, exactly, you wish to know?"

"I'm gonna change into a demon. I want to learn what to expect; better than living in fear."

"I see. I think I have just the thing for you, then."

Mr. Nagira moved across the room to a bookshelf against one wall. Tracing his hand lightly along the rows of spines, he seemed to be looking for one in particular. Pausing a moment, he pulled one off the shelf, a rather thick book bound in black leather and with no visible markings on the outside. Flipping it open to a random page, he looked for a moment, nodded, and closed it with a snap.

"Here we are. This book is a catalogue of information on the demon races I do know of. It is far from complete, but I believe it is the most appropriate book among my collection to assist you."

"Awesome, dude! What do I owe ya'?"

"Actually, I have a proposal for you. I will lend you this book free of charge if you'll do something for me."

"Whaddya' need help with?"

"As I said, this book is incomplete. I'd like you to help add to it. It is said that you cannot truly understand a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes." At this, the man turned to regard the changeling closely. His gaze was piercing and somewhat reminiscent of Slade. Unlike Slade, however, his eye seemed to hold only a powerful curiosity, and none of the malice or criminal insanity that the mastermind often carried. "I do believe that you, more so than anyone else, are perfectly equipped to do exactly that, in the most literal sense."

"So, what? You want me to, like, keep a diary of when I change?"

"Essentially, yes."

"I can do that, I guess."

"We have a deal, then?" The man held out a hand. Glove met glove, and the two shook on it. The book was passed into Beast Boy's grasp a moment later.

"Thanks, dude! You're a life saver. I do kinda have one more question, though."

Mr. Nagira, who had returned to sitting at his desk, looked up. "Yes? And what might that be?"

"Uh, well, I know this is gonna sound weird, but…What's your relationship with Raven?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your relationship with Raven; what is it? I can smell it on you. You smell like her."

"It would seem I've underestimated your nose…interesting. If you really want to know…I've always been a firm believer in equivalent exchange. I will tell you what you wish, if you return the favor."

"Wait, huh?"

"I will tell you what my relationship with Raven is, if you tell me yours."

Beast Boy paused to consider this. They were just friends, right? True, he was closer to her than some of the other Titans, but there wasn't really anything special between them, was there? Not in _that_ sense, anyway. Though sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder why he tried so hard. Sure, he wanted her to smile; he wanted all of his friends to smile. Was he taking it personally simply because she seemed determined to keep him at arm's length, or was there a deeper meaning that he'd never bothered to look for? Some of his confusion must have shown on his face, because Mr. Nagira, though he was respectful enough to not say anything, has a distinctly amused glint in his eye.

"We're…friends. Good friends, but just friends. What's your story?"

"To make a make a very long story quite a bit shorter, you could say I'm her older brother."

"Older what? But I thought Raven was an only child!"

"Come now, Beast Boy. You did not honestly believe a demon as old and powerful as Trigon the Terrible would only have one child, now did you?"

It took the changeling only a couple seconds to mull that over before he was suddenly dropping into a defensive posture, anger etched on his face.

"What are you planning? I'll never let Trigon have Raven! None of us will!"

Mr. Nagira, for what it was worth, reacted calmly. Raising his right hand into the air, he looked at the changeling with an expression that suggested he did not wish to fight.

"I swear that I've no connection to my father other than blood. I have long since been taking precautions to keep myself free of his influence, and now that the only other potential Gem has overcome her destiny, this plane will be free of Trigon's influence for a long time to come. I wish nothing but the best for my sister."

Loosening up, Beast Boy took a long look at the man in front of him. Despite the revelation, there was still that feeling in the pit of his stomach that this guy was, if not necessarily friend material, certainly not a liar. The changeling straightened, bringing his hands back to his sides.

"Alright. I'll trust you. Does she know?"

"No, and if possible I would prefer it remain that way."

"Why? You'd think she would want to know she has a fami-"

"She already has a family, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy was struck speechless momentarily. He did not raise his voice, nor had his tone changed, but the weight of his words was almost tangible. While it was true that the man not telling Raven of the situation could be seen as immoral, the selfless nature behind his motives was clear. With that one sentence, he could feel his respect for Mr. Nagira climb a few notches. Before he could say anything, the business man continued.

"As much as I might like to reveal myself to her, I've no desire to complicate the situation. She is a hero, and I am…not. My business forces me to travel quite a bit, and I would not wish to pull her away from her team, her other family. At least this way, I may keep an eye on her, and play some part in her life, however small. It is not ideal, perhaps, but I am content. Will that be all, Beast Boy? I really must be getting back to work."

"Uh…yeah. Thanks again for the book, Mr. Nagira. You're a good guy, you know that? Oh, and thanks for looking out for Raven, in your own way. I promise that I- we, will take good care of her."

"I would…appreciate that. Have a nice day, Beast Boy."

Once Beast Boy was safely out that door and, as portrayed by the security cameras he was tapped into, on his way out of the building, Mr. Nagira let the slightest upward twitch show at the corners of his mouth. Standing, he shook his head.

"If only you knew, Beast Boy, you would not be so quick to praise me." Stepping out of his office and into the main room of the penthouse, the business man looked at the figure sprawled out on the couch. Another slight smile dared to show itself. "Brother, you know you cannot fool me. I am aware that you were eavesdropping."

The blond one on the sofa laughed, a merry sound filling the room. "Eavesdroppin'? Bu' I's nevah' e'en go' offa tha' couch! Now how's ya' be 'spectin me ta' go n' do sommin' like tha'?"

"If you say so. Now, I do believe I have a job for you…and this one promises a fight."

The blonde one laughed again; this time, it was more akin to a cackle than a sound of mirth.


	7. Chatper Six - Meetings

**Author's Note: **Somewhat of a slightly shorter than usual chapter for you all today, but it's required as a sort of set-up for future events. There's no need to worry, though; He won't be getting much screen-time next chapter, but he'll be back before too long. Promise. Also, some pre-departure fluff for everybody, to tide you over until they're reunited. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter Six  
Meetings**

Raven was rolling out of bed and pulling her emergency cape from the wall before she bothered to register which alarm was blaring through the tower. After many a prank by Beast Boy, as well as a few genuinely accidental incidents, Cyborg had installed a series of alarm sounds, each one corresponding to a different event. There were alarm sounds for emergencies in the city, an intruder alarm, and even a few specific tones for some of their more high-profile villains, like the Brotherhood or Slade, despite how rarely they were needed.

This one in particular was an urgent meeting alarm, which meant she at least had a couple minutes to wash her face and curse whoever was calling a meeting at- a quick check of the clock revealed it was barely after three in the morning- before she actually entered the common room. Cyborg and Robin were already there, as well as Beast Boy; that was a surprise, as he was normally the last to show up.

Starfire flew into the room shortly after Raven herself did. Once everyone was present, Robin and Cyborg turned to the changeling.

"So, mind telling us what the heck you called a meeting for at three in the morning, BB?"

"I gotta go."

"What, to the bathroom? Man, if you woke us all up for somethin' stupi-"

"No, I mean I gotta go. Away. From the team."

These words were followed by a full minute of pure silence. The alarm had long since been turned off, of course, so now there were four pairs of eyes locked on Beast Boy's face. The changeling, for all that he normally thrived on attention, was still starting to find it to be uncomfortable.

"N-not forever, or anything! Just a while. I got some things I need to…do."

"How long? And why isn't it something you can do here, with our help?" Robin, naturally, was the first to recover, though he still looked somewhat shocked.

"Don't know. A few months. No more than a year. Look, I know you guys are gonna miss me, bu-"

"What is wrong, friend!? Why can you not rely on us? Is it something we have done?!"

"No, Star. It's not you guys, it's just…You saw what I did to that rabbit. I'm not safe around people, even you guys. At least until I have this under control."

It was that which confirmed Raven's suspicions. He was afraid of hurting one of the others because of that incident the other night. So now, not only had she forced something he didn't want on him, now it was her fault he had to leave the team. As if she didn't already have enough to feel guilty about already. Though, that thought in and of itself made her feel worse, because she was still better off than he was. At least she could stay in the Tower.

"D'you know what's causing it, B?"

"Not really. Probably puberty, or something. Hey, Rob. Have you ever had a really strong gut feeling, like you gotta do something and if you don't you'll just explode?"

Raven's head snapped up at that. _'Probably puberty, or something?'_ He was covering for her? Maybe it was just repaying her, as she'd done the same for him the other day, but…No. She was _not_ going to get emotional, and she certainly was _not_ going to cry, pressure behind her eyes be damned!

"Yeah, I get that feeling sometimes. Why?"

"Well, imagine that you had, like, a million of 'em instead of just one, and they were all pulling you in completely different direc-Raven?"

Without even realizing what she herself was doing, the empath had turned and started levitating towards the door. She needed to be alone. To meditate, before all of this got out of hand. She could almost feel her control slipping away. This was _not_ happening. Not here. She spoke, keeping a tight rein on her tone, to make sure it stayed nice and flat; maybe too flat.

"If that's all you had to say, I'll be going now. This was not worth getting up at three in the morning." Pausing before the open common room door, she turned her head partially. She could feel the mixed negative emotions flooding towards her from the other end of the room. "But, Beast Boy? Don't stay gone too long. You're…needed here. We aren't a team without you."

She was out the door before anyone could respond. The solid walls couldn't completely stop an intangible thing like emotion, obviously, but it did help. The indignation and mild anger at her coldness had turned into warmth that she couldn't quite put her finger on, though it was certainly a positive emotion. Returning to her room, she removed her cloak and climbed back into bed, intent upon making up for lost sleep.

Feeling tears in the corners of her eyes, she instead moved into a sitting position. Perhaps an hour of meditation wouldn't be amiss, to ensure that nothing broke in her sleep. Reflecting on her current emotional state, she decided two might be more appropriate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She was awoken prematurely yet again, this time by a pounding on her door. A glance at the clock read eleven in the morning. Quite a bit later than normal, but the interruption earlier that morning along with what turned out to be three hours of meditation following, she wasn't all that surprised.

"Raven, wake up! BB is about to go. He wanted everyone to see him off. Meet up on the roof."

That voice belonged to Cyborg. Rolling somewhat unceremoniously out of bed- she was prone to relaxing and a surprising amount of laziness when she was alone and without a reputation to uphold- she snatched a cloak out her closet and, with only a few moments to rearrange her clothing from sleep, headed out the door. Cyborg was already gone by the time she did, so she went ahead and phased through the ceiling to her destination.

Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy were already present, with Star standing solemnly and Beast Boy and Robin off a yard or two away, conversing quietly. Beast Boy was dressed in his usual outfit, though he was carrying a duffel bag across one shoulder, with who knows what inside. Cyborg came through the door a moment later, spotting Raven and grumbling something about magicians and wanting teleporters for the Tower.

Raven stood back while Beast Boy did his more active goodbyes, including back breaking hugs from both Starfire and Cyborg alongside a solid handshake and even a one-armed 'bro-hug' from Robin. When Beast Boy turned to her, though, something of a sad sort of look came across his face, and he lowered the arm he'd been raising, presumably to wave. Instead, he settled for words.

"Bye, Raven."

For such a simple sentence, it had far more of an effect than two words had any right to. She felt a strange sort of sadness welling up from her chest, leaving a lump in her throat and, once again, pressure behind her eyes. Not wanting their parting to be on such a melancholy note, she acted entirely on impulse and surprised everyone present, including herself.

Lowering her hood, she moved forward to close the few feet that separated them and wrapped her arms around the changeling in a simple hug that spoke volumes at the same time. For a couple seconds, he seemed far too shocked to react, much like the last and only other time he'd received a hug from Raven. Unlike that time, he managed to recover quickly enough to return the gesture.

"Be safe."

The two words were whispered far too quietly for anyone else to hear, and she thought she saw his ear twitch rapidly from the feel of her breath across it. Realizing then that the embrace had lasted a little too long to just be friendly, she moved back from him and flipped her hood up yet again, to hide what she was sure would be a blush that reached her ears.

Turning away so that she wouldn't have to see the knowing smirk on Cyborg's and Robin's faces, along with whatever star-crossed expression might be on Starfire's, she quickly retreated from the roof. Once again, she returned to her sanctuary, her room. Surrounded by her four walls and a locked door, she felt safe.

Safe enough, at least, to let her tears fall.


	8. Chapter Seven - Confrontations

**Author's Note: **Sorry, guys. This one was a little hard to write, not because of the OC related potion in the second half, but rather because of the slightly emotional Raven moment in the first. I've seen them done well, and I've seen them done really, really badly. So, I'd appreciate it if y'all left an opinion in your reviews as to whether or not I managed to avoid making it totally cringe worthy.

**P.S. **There's no Beast Boy in this one, for though I had a cameo of sorts planned, I couldn't figure out a way to fit it in that wouldn't destroy the chapter's pacing, so it was cut out entirely. I can guarantee that he'll be back by the end of the next chapter, though. But that's enough out of me; enjoy!

**Dislcaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Confrontations**

Raven was lying rather uncharacteristically spread-eagled on her bed, cloak and leotard discarded in favor of a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a sleeveless black T-shirt. Certainly not something she'd be caught dead wearing in front of her friends let alone anyone else, but something she owned for the sake of comfort nonetheless. It had been a month since Beast Boy left on his training mission. There had been much fighting over whether or not he'd be allowed to go, or whether he could afford to for that matter, but considering Robin had taken the same kind of journey himself for similar reasons, he couldn't exactly refuse the changeling's request.

More importantly than that, however, were the various things that Raven discovered about herself during Beast Boy's absence. Just as she'd suspected, the first few days of peace and quiet were blissful, giving her ample time to catch up on her reading and meditate for extended periods. It wasn't before long, however, that Raven found that what she once called an ideal routine had become mind-numbingly _boring._

Deep down, she knew why. It wasn't that the routine was any less enjoyable; she enjoyed a good book just as much as ever, and meditation was as integral to her day as eating or sleeping was. Rather, it was that she'd become used to so much _more_. Life with the Teen Titans was eventful, with a super villain popping up once a week at the least and regular patrols filling the time otherwise. When the team did have free time they were still normally together, even if that meant as little as each doing their own thing in each other's company.

This still happened, admittedly. The common room was one of Raven's favorite places to read whether Beast Boy was present or not. However, she had come to realize that the changeling was her invitation, of sorts, to the 'family outings'. It had become so normal for Beast Boy to be the one convincing her to tag along that the others rarely asked her themselves, assuming that the changeling would show up with her in tow if she planned to come at all.

The frequency with which the changeling was showing up in her thoughts alarmed the empath as well, and she was almost relieved to be shaken from her musings by a knock at her door. The voice that sounded through the barrier a moment later proved it to be Robin.

"Raven, report to the common room; we need to talk."

"Will do, Robin."

She was already stripping out of her 'comfort clothes' and into a fresh leotard. She wasn't rushing to do it; there was no reason to leave Robin thinking she'd jump at his beck and call. However, she was doing so promptly, because whatever was up seemed to be serious. That meant Titan business, and Titan business wasn't something one made a habit of showing up to late. Throwing a cloak over her shoulders, she was already phasing up through the floor of the common room while she fastened the cloak together in front.

"What's going on?"

"Funny you should ask that, Raven. I was hoping you could tell us."

Robin came in through the door just as she'd spoken, so she gave no more than a glance at the screen. However, what she saw, in tandem with what the Boy Wonder said, made her turn back. She was almost glad that she was so pale, because no one could see the blood draining from her face. Up on the big screen was a freeze-frame from one of the hallway security cameras, showing a rather good angle of Beast Boy's face attached to Raven's shoulder in all its bloody glory. On either side of the screen sat Cyborg and Starfire, looking stern and worried respectively. Cyborg spoke first.

"Found this while I was doing the scheduled monthly security footage check. Care to explain?"

"Yes, friend, tell us that the 'foot of ages' is a lie; or maybe mistaken. Please?"

Raven considered lying; she really did. Unfortunately, the picture was still up there on the screen, and she wasn't really sure how to explain it away in a believable fashion. The camera angle didn't leave much to the imagination, and even if it had she doubted it was the only camera Cyborg had access to that would have some sort of footage of the incident.

"It happened. I don't see why it's a problem, though."

"Not a problem? He _attacked_ you, Raven!"

"Robin, please, do the calming down-"

"No. No, I won't calm down! This is serious. If Raven was attacked then we have to-"

"No, Robin. We don't have to do anything. Why do you think he left? Because he's determined to find out what's wrong, and fix it. Give him time."

Robin stopped his ranting long enough to turn and fix Raven with a hard stare. He was quiet for a while after that, to the point where she thought he might've been finished. Even Cyborg and Starfire seemed confused by his sudden full stop, though neither of them were very active participants in the conversation either. Raven had turned and was started to float away when Robin spoke again.

"Why are you so intent upon defending him, Raven?"

That caught the empath's attention, and she stopped. Without turning, she still managed to fill the room with an icy sort of feeling, as though thin ice were being tread upon.

"Why aren't you?"

"That's not good enough, Raven. Listen, I know that-"

"No, Robin, _you_ listen; because frankly, I'm getting a little sick and tired of you harassing him. He's annoying, immature, and wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him; but when push comes to shove he's _never _let this team down. Never let _me_ down. I would trust him with my life in a heartbeat. Unlike you, who can't see past his mistake; which is exactly what it was, Robin. A _mistake_. I would think you knew about those better than any of us. I've already forgiven him. Why can't you?"

She didn't raise her voice, though there was that tone in it that hinted at barely suppressed anger. Though, the spider web of cracks running through the common room window betrayed the emotion she was feeling. Without another word and without waiting for a reaction, she slipped through the floor. For the next few minutes, it was silent. Cyborg was the first to speak.

"Hey, Robin?"

"What?"

"You just got _told_."

"Shut up, Cyborg."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"How's his progress, brother? Almost halfway done? Good, good. No, keep observing for the time being. You'll have your chance soon, but I ask that you be patient. Thank you. Goodbye."

Rakuru, or Mr. Nagira, or a plethora of other names depending upon the region, hung up his phone. He truly was lucky that he and his brother had a common goal this time around; otherwise he may very well have had a dead changeling on his hands already. That certainly wouldn't have been pretty, and wasn't at all what he had planned.

Right now, the businessman was sitting at his desk, reviewing a series of monitors showing everything from security camera footage to cell phone videos of every fight the Teen Titans had been a part of in the last year. Normally, he would've gone back farther, but he was on a schedule. Beside, for all that the Titans worked exceptionally well together, most of their individual abilities were fairly simple, making his part quite a bit easier.

"Now then…It's time I gathered the rest of the players."

His eyes lowered to the letter in front of him, reviewing its contents:

_Dear Guardian,_

_I believe I have found a suitable test of strength for one as esteemed as yourself. Your opponent, should you accept, will be Starfire of the Teen Titans. There is no need to respond o this letter; simply make your way to Jump City within a fortnight. Enclosed within is a map, as well as contacts who capable of getting you where you need to go. I look forward to seeing you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Shadow_

Short, to the point, and hopefully containing an offer that the warrior couldn't refuse. After adding his signature, he closed the letter up and promptly dropped it into a portal. That made three. Luckily, the fourth and fifth were together, so that left only one more call to make. Taking up the phone once again, he dialed in a series of numbers and waited.

"…Hello? Hello, Gwen. It is good to hear from you again. Is Vahn available? No? I see…He's doing _what_ with a golem's...? No, never mind. I cannot say that I'm surprised. Just let him know that Nagira has a job offer for him, please? Thank you kindly, Gwen. I hope to see you both soon as well. And do try to make sure he doesn't lose his other arm; I have a feeling he's going to need it."

Hanging up the phone for the second time in the last ten minutes, the businessman leaned back in his chair with a sigh. So, they would be able to start phase two. Honestly, the things he would do for family; even if it meant going behind their backs. Still, he could say one thing for certain, so far:

_All according to plan._


End file.
